Keely's Korner

CELEBRITY NEWS: APRIL 18, 2022
http://www.imdb.com/news/celebrity

Suri Cruise (Katie Holmes & Tom Cruise’s daughter) – 16 years old
Grier Henchy (Brooke Shields & Chris Henchy’s daughter) – 16 years old
Sophia Grace Brownlee (Sophia & Rosie from The Ellen DeGeneres Show) – 19 years old
Britt Robertson (ABC’s For The People/ Girlboss) – 32 years old
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (“Transformers: Dark of The Moon”) – 35 years old
America Ferrera (NBC’s Superstore/ ABC’s Ugly Betty) – 38 years old
Amina Pankey (VH1’s Love & Hip Hop: New York) – 39 years old
Kourtney Kardashian (Keeping Up With The Kardashians) – 43 years old
Melissa Joan Hart (Melissa & Joey/ Sabrina, The Teenage Witch) – 46 years old
Fredro Starr (Onyx) – 51 years old
Maria Bello (NCIS/ ER) – 55 years old
Conan O’Brien (Conan) – 59 years old
Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) – 59 years old
Jane Leeves (Hot In Cleveland/ Frasier) – 61 years old
Eric Roberts (“The Dark Knight”) – 66 years old
Melody Thomas Scott (Soap Opera Actress) – 66 years old
Rick Moranis (“Ghostbusters”) – 69 years old
Kenny Ortega (Producer, Michael Jackson’s “This Is It”) – 72 years old
James Woods (Ray Donovan) – 75 years old
Hayley Mills (“The Parent Trap”) – 76 years old 

FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news

ON TELEVISION (MONDAY 4/18/22)
ACORN TV: Hidden Assets (Premiere)
AMC: Better Call Saul (Premiere) at 9pm
HGTV: Celebrity IOU (Premiere) at 9pm
OUTDOOR CHANNEL: Fishing in the Wild (Premiere) at 7pm
FOOD: The Julia Child Challenge (Finale) at 9pm
HBO: The Invisible Pilot (Finale) at 9pm
HBO: My Brilliant Friend: Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay at 10pm

Not so fast: Twitter’s board of directors went into a full-court press on Friday. The board unanimously adopted a limited duration shareholder rights plan, also called a poison pill, following Elon Musk’s unsolicited proposal to acquire the platform. The move reduces “the likelihood that any entity, person or group gains control of Twitter through open market accumulation without paying all shareholders an appropriate control premium or without providing the Board sufficient time to make informed judgments and take actions that are in the best interests of shareholders,” according to Twitter. In short, it makes a hostile takeover very complicated. Musk last Thursday in a letter to the board made what he deemed a final offer to buy Twitter for $54.20 a share, which valued the platform at $43 billion. The newly adopted rights plan runs for one year and “does not prevent the Board from engaging with parties or accepting an acquisition proposal if the Board believes that it is in the best interests of Twitter and its shareholders,” the company stated.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Turner Classic Movies is broadening its partnership with The Film Foundation via a multiyear financial commitment to fund education and restoration of classic movies. The world premiere of newly restored George Stevens Warner Bros. film “Giant” will be featured at the TCM Classic Film Festival as part of the partnership, preceded by a conversation hosted by TCM’s Ben Mankiewicz with The Film Foundation board member Steven Spielberg, exec director Margaret Bodde and George Stevens Jr.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Paramount Chief Bob Bakish’s total compensation dropped to $20 million in 2021 from $38.9 million the prior year according to a company SEC filing. Among his personal earnings, Bakish had a base salary of $3.1 million and nonequity incentive plan compensation. In 2020, he received a $15.9 million stock award, according to the company’s annual proxy statement.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Hallmark Channel crowned the winner of its inaugural #1 Fan Contest. Taborah Adams of Carey, NC, scored the official title of chief fan officer, a salary of $10,000 and a future movie premiere screening party in her hometown.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Wonder Street and New Zealand-based Stripe Studios are partnering up on a slate of unscripted TV series. First up are “Snow Patrol,” for Bravo New Zealand, which follows the staff and crew of The Remarkables Ski Field in New Zealand; and “New Zealand Gold Diggers,” for Sky TV, which centers on modern-day gold diggers. Stripe is already the home of Bravo New Zealand’s “The Circus,” which follows the lives of a family who live and work together in a traveling circus.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Discovery+ unveiled several series debuting or re-airing April 15-24, timed around Earth Day. Among them are “Chasing Ocean Giants,” an eight-ep series that uses state-of-the-art exploration technology to help scientists decipher the mysteries of the ocean’s giants, and seven-ep “Action Planet Climate Challenge,” exploring how some of the world’s most well-known figures inspiring audiences to take action. Each 8-12-minute episode features an interview with a high-profile activist, including Matt Damon discussing his Water.org, Jane Fonda on Fire Drill Fridays and Adrian Grenier on Lonely Whale. “Endangered,” exec-produced and narrated by Ellen DeGeneres, follows the effort of dedicated wildlife conservationists across the globe.
(Source: Cynopsis)

From Animal Planet comes “Crikey! It’s the Irwins,” starring Terri, Bindi and Robert Irwin, Bindi’s husband Chandler Powell, and newest Irwin family member Grace Warrior Irwin Powell, continuing the late Steve Irwin’s mission to bring people closer to animals… BBC/Discovery has “The Earthshot Prize: Repairing Our Planet,” led by Prince William and Sir David Attenborough; “Frozen Planet,” an expedition into the landscapes of the two poles; “The Mating Game,” a five-part series narrated by Sir David Attenborough that explores how animals overcome the challenges of their worlds to reproduce; Attenborough-narrated “Planet Earth II”; and “Serengeti II,” created and produced by Simon Fuller.
(Source: Cynopsis)

On Discovery, “Judi Dench’s Wild Borneo Adventure” features the Dame and conservationist David Mills on a trip to the lush rainforests and coastlines of Malaysian Borneo; “Mysterious Planet,” narrated by David Schwimmer, combines humor with the awe and beauty of the natural world; and “The Story of Plastic” is an Emmy-winning doc that looks at the man-made crisis.
(Source: Cynopsis)

“The Wonder List with Bill Weir” returns for a new season on CNN+ on Thursday, April 21. Across four episodes, the series led by CNN’s chief climate correspondent brings viewers to fascinating locations at a critical crossroads brought on by climate change.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Eight-episode limited series “The Staircase,” created by Antonio Campos (“The Devil All the Time”) and starring Colin Firth and Toni Collette, debuts Thursday, May 5 on HBO Max with an initial three eps. Inspired by a true story, the series explores the life of Michael Peterson, his sprawling North Carolina family, and the suspicious death of his wife, Kathleen Peterson.
(Source: Cynopsis)

FutureDude Entertainment will debut “Oceanus: Act One” on sci-fi streamer Dust today (April 18). The film, which stars Sharif Atkins (“Guardians of the Galaxy”), Bruce Davison (“X-Men”), Megan Dodds (“For All Mankind”) and Malcolm McDowell (“Star Trek: Generations”), is set in the year 2029, when a breakthrough in whale/human communication is at a hand.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Ahead of Earth Day, Vision Films will release “Eating Our Way To Extinction,” a documentary Amazon will be promoting April 18-22 during Amazon Prime’s Earth Day Campaign. Narrated and exec-produced by Kate Winslet, the doc showcases how simple changes to the way we eat can help halt catastrophic climate change and restore our planet and challenges how viewers look at the food industry.
(Source: Cynopsis)

National Geographic’s Earth Day premieres available for streaming on Disney+ on Friday, April 22 include “Explorer: The Last Tepui,” in which Alex Honnold (“Free Solo”), Mark Synnott, and a team led by Nat Geo Explorer attempt to ascend a 1,000-foot sheer cliff in the Amazon. Also: “The Biggest Little Farm: The Return,” the follow-up that revisits John and Molly Chester as they toil to revive a dried-up farm.
(Source: Cynopsis)

CNN Films released the first trailer and set a Sunday, April 24 premiere date for “Navalny,” director Daniel Roher’s documentary about Russian dissident Alexei Navaln. CNN will air the feature commercial-free starting at 9p. The Russian government opposition leader survived an assassination attempt by poisoning less than two years ago.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Fans of music and celeb-dom were able to watch Harry Styles, Billie Eilish and more performers at the Coachella festival, which returned this past weekend after a two-year absence, via YouTube livestreams of the event. The video service offered three channels, each with a separate schedule of performers, and will do the same for weekend 2.
(Source: Cynopsis)

KJ Apa (“Riverdale”) and Isabel May (“1883”) scored the lead roles in “The Wonder Twins,” a live-action DC comedy for HBO Max… HBO period drama “The Gilded Age” bumped a slew of cast from season 1 to series regulars for its upcoming second run, including Kelli O’Hara, Donna Murphy, Debra Monk, Kristine Nielsen, Taylor Richardson, Ben Ahlers, Kelley Curran, Douglas Sills, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Michael Cerveris, Erin Wilhelmi, Patrick Page and Sullivan Jones.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Food Network’s “Tournament of Champions” last Sunday posted a 1.0 A25-54 and 1.2 W25-54 L+3 rating, up 5 percent vs. prior six-weeks and up 20 over a year ago. The ratings helped the net rank as the No. 2 cable network within Sunday prime among W25-54.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Production house London Alley signed director Colin Tilley to direct commercials. Grammy-nominated Tilley has produced and directed music videos for Justin Bieber, Megan Thee Stallion and J Balvin.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Jerry Seinfeld was among members of Hollywood who shared remembrances of Liz Sheridan, who died Friday, April 15 at age 93. The veteran actress, best known for playing Seinfeld’s mother on “Seinfeld,” also had a recurring role on “ALF” and appeared in numerous Broadway shows. As Helen Seinfeld, Sheridan appeared in more than 20 episodes of the show. She also provided the voice of Mrs. Stillman in the animated sitcom “Life with Louie.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

POWERBALL
Today’s Jackpot is $348 million. 

Powerball is played in 43 states.

NYLottery.NY.gov

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore – $43 million
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 – $30 million
The Lost City – $6.5 million
Everything Everywhere All at Once – $6.2 million
Father Stu – $5.7 million
(Source: Box Office Mojo)

CELEBRITY NEWS: APRIL 15, 2022
http://www.imdb.com/news/celebrity

Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones) – 25 years old
Emma Watson (“Harry Potter” movies) – 32 years old
Samira Wiley (Orange Is The New Black) – 35 years old
Seth Rogen (“Knocked Up”) – 40 years old
Damien Dante Wayans (Second Generation Wayans) – 42 years old
Karlie Redd (Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta) – 48 years old
Danny Pino (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) – 48 years old
China Chow (Burn Notice/ “The Big Hit) – 48 years old
Flex Alexander (Flex & Shanice) – 52 years old
Dara Torres (Olympic Gold Swimmer) – 55 years old
Samantha Fox (Pop Singer) – 56 years old
Linda Perry (Songwriter/ Ex-wife of Sara Gilbert) – 57 years old
Emma Thompson (“Saving Mr. Banks”/ “Love Actually”) – 63 years old
Margaret Avery (Being Mary Jane/ “The Color Purple”) – 78 years old

FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news

ON TELEVISION (FRIDAY 4/15/22)
APPLE TV+: Roar (Premiere)
CBS: Come Dance With Me (Premiere) at 8pm 
DISCOVERY+/ MAGNOLIA: Handcrafted Hotels (Premiere)
NETFLIX: Mai (Premiere)
NETFLIX: Anatomy of a Scandal (Premiere)
NETFLIX: Heirs to the Land (Premiere)
PARAMOUNT+: Rugrats (Premiere)
PRIME VIDEO: Outer Range (Premiere)
PRIME VIDEO: Verdict (Premiere)
THE ROKU CHANNEL: Swimming with Sharks (Premiere)
PBS: Chamber Music Society Returns (Finale) at 10pm

(SATURDAY 4/16/22)
NBC: Saturday Night Live – Host: Lizzo, Musical Guest: Lizzo at 11:30pm

(SUNDAY 4/17/22)
PBS PASSPORT: Annika (Premiere)
SHOWTIME: The First Lady (Premiere) at 9pm
TLC: 90 Day Fiance (Premiere) at 8pm
FOOD NETWORK: Tournament of Champions (Finale) at 8pm 
HBO: Game Theory with Bomani Jones (Finale) at 11:30pm
STARZ: Power Book IV: Force (Finale) at 8pm

Twitter’s biggest shareholder, Elon Musk, has made a “best and final” hostile offer to buy the remaining shares of the company. “I invested in Twitter as I believe in its potential to be the platform for free speech around the globe, and I believe free speech is a societal imperative for a functioning democracy,” said Musk in a letter to Twitter. “However, since making my investment I now realize the company will neither thrive nor serve this societal imperative in its current form. Twitter needs to be transformed as a private company.” The Tesla CEO offered $54.20 per share, valuing the company at about $43 billion. Musk had been given a seat on Twitter’s board of directors, a position that came with the stipulation that he not own more than 14.9% of the company’s outstanding stock; he wound up not taking the seat. Twitter released a statement saying it “will carefully review the proposal to determine the course of action that it believes in the best interest of the Company and all Twitter stockholders.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

Warner Bros. Discovery’s first global town hall, held Thursday on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank with out-of-town employees attending virtually, kicked off with a sizzle reel and the message, “It’s a new chapter.” OWN’s Oprah Winfrey was on hand to interview CEO David Zaslav onstage about how the WarnerMedia/Discovery merger came about, what’s ahead, and what understandably unsettled employees can expect as far a cuts. “We are going to focus on less layers and be more entrepreneurial,” said Zaslav. “In some areas there will be less people.” Teams from both sides have been “working hard” on plans, said Zaslav, adding that in the areas where Warner and Discovery have largely different businesses – like sports and movies – “there will be less change.” Overall, said the CEO: “We get to build a creative team, the best of both companies….This is our moment.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

Smithsonian Channel shared the trailer for “The Color of Care”documentary and impact campaign, a multi-platform effort to catalyze a movement to eliminate racial disparities in the delivery of US healthcare. The year-long campaign will follow the May 1 premiere of “The Color of Care” documentary, exec produced by Oprah Winfrey.
(Source: Cynopsis)

 Embassy Row founder Michael Davies, who has been executive producing “Jeopardy!” on an interim basis, has accepted an offer from Sony Pictures Television to take the job full-time. “’Jeopardy!’ has a massive opportunity to build further and, far from being threatened by the massive changes in the media landscape, we can take advantage of the emergence of new platforms and bring more ‘Jeopardy!’ to more audiences,” said Davies in a blog post. “There is just so much more we can do together.” Davies will continue to run Embassy Row.
(Source: Cynopsis)

HBO Max has ordered the Max Original DC drama “Dead Boy Detectives” to series. From Steve Yockey (“The Flight Attendant”), Jeremy Carver (“Doom Patrol”), Berlanti Productions, and Warner Bros. Television, the eight-episode horror detective series explores loss, grief, and death through the lens of two dead British teenagers and their alive friend. Yockey, Carver, Greg Berlanti (“You,” “The Flash”), and Sarah Schechter (“The Flight Attendant,” “You”) are executive producers. Based on characters created for DC by Neil Gaiman and Matt Wagner, the series is produced by Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. Yockey, Carver, Berlanti Productions, and Krieger are all under overall deals with WBTV.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Paranormal investigator Zak Bagans has inked a new three-year deal with discovery+. Under the agreement, Bagans will create, star in and produce over 100 hours of supernatural and horror content for the discovery+ portfolio, including new seasons of “Ghost Adventures,” semi-scripted series “The Haunted Museum” as well as specials and untitled creative projects in the works.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Fremantle plans to develop and produce drama series “Troubled,”exploring the problematic troubled teen reform industry based on creator Misha Osherovich’s (“The Girl in The Woods”) experiences and survival story in the world of “tough love” programs for rebellious youth. Misha Osherovich co-created and co-wrote “Troubled” with screenwriter Skylar Landsee. Osherovich and Landsee will serve as Co-Executive Producers. Paul Keables (“Boss”) in onboard the project as showrunner.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Hulu has ordered a limited series from Lee Daniels and 20th Television based on the book, In Black and White: The Life of Sammy Davis Jr. Elijah Kelley (“The New Edition. Story”) will star as the iconic entertainer.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Andrew Walker (“My Christmas Family Tree,” “A Bride for Christmas”) has signed an exclusive overall deal with Crown Media Family Networks. “Andrew has a special talent and charm that shines through in every role,” said EVP, Programming, Lisa Hamilton Daly. “He’s become a favorite among our viewers for good reason.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

Exile Content Studio and Moxie 88 are partnering to develop scripted series “The Illusionist Club.” Created by Carrillo Levy and Villamar, the series tells the story of a 13-year-old aspiring card illusionist who assembles a ragtag group of suburban teenage magic enthusiasts to solve the mystery of the long-ago disappearance of his grandfather.
(Source: Cynopsis)

K-drama series “Shooting Stars” hits streamer Rakuten Viki on Saturday, April 23. The rom-com is set in the entertainment industry.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Season two of Showtime’s late-night series “Ziwe” starts streaming Friday, April 29, and makes its linear premiere Sunday, May 1 at 11p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

HBO Max comedy “Hacks” is back for season two on Thursday, May 12. The eight-episode season will air two episodes a week, concluding June 2.
(Source: Cynopsis)

All eight returning queens on season seven of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” have won previous seasons, a first for the competition series. The season launches Friday, May 20 on Paramount+, preceded by four-episode special “Countdown to All Stars 7: You’re A Winner Baby” on VH1 starting Friday, April 29 at 8p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Food Network’s “Desperately Seeking Sous Chefs” premieres Tuesday, May 31 at 9p. In the five-part tournament, chefs are challenged to utilize mystery of ingredients to make tantalizing fare.
(Source: Cynopsis)

“Billy the Kid,” a romantic adventure starring Tom Blyth (“The Gilded Age”) as the legendary cowboy, kicks off Sunday, April 24 at 10p on Epix.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Singer/songwriters Billie Eilish and FINNEAS get animated in a “The Simpsons” short premiering on Disney+ Friday, April 22. In “When Billie Met Lisa,” Lisa Simpson is discovered by the chart-topping artists while searching for a quiet place to practice her saxophone, and Billie invites her to attend a special jam session.
(Source: Cynopsis)

FETV, home of classic westerns including “Rawhide,” “Wagon Train,” and “The Lone Ranger,” is adding a fan fave show to the lineup with a feminine twist: “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” joins the slate in October.
(Source: Cynopsis)

SeriesFest, the festival and non-profit organization dedicated to supporting underserved voices in episodic storytelling, kicks off May 5 with the US premiere screening of new STARZ new drama, “Becoming Elizabeth,” followed by a Q&A panel with creator and executive producer Anya Reiss and series’ stars Alicia von Rittberg and Jamie Blackley.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Stars from six of Nickelodeon’s live-action series converge in a crossover event,“When Worlds Collide,” premiering Thursday, April 21, at 7p as part of “Side Hustle.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

Jing Lusi (“Crazy Rich Asians”) will star in Netflix’s “Man vs Bee,” launching Friday, June 24. The comedy, created by Rowan Atkinson (“Mr. Bean”) and Will Davies (“Johnny English”), is being produced by Atkinson’s HouseSitter Productions.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Stephanie Hsu (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) has joined the cast of Peacock’s “Poker Face,” a mystery drama from T-Street and MRC Television.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Levar Burton (“Star Trek: Picard”), Katlynn Simone Smith (“Empire”) Tamera Tomakili (“Winning Time”) and Tim Chantarangsu (“Laid in America”) will recur on season two of Starz drama “Blindspotting.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

Dominique Fishback (“The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey”) landed the lead in Prime Video’s untitled series from Donald Glover and Janine Nabers.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Teri Polo (“The Fosters”) is joining CBS’ “NCIS” in a recurring role. Her character will be introduced in the season 19 finale, and return in season 20.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards on Saturday, April 3, which simulcast across Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Nicktoons and TeenNick, ranked as the number one telecast of the week across all TV in Live+3 among Kids 2-11 (1.5/246,000) and Kids 6-11 (1.7/188,000) and reached 1.1 million Total Viewers. The show also posted year-over-year double-digit gains in share with Kids 2-11 (+15%) and Kids 6-11 (+16%).
(Source: Cynopsis)

MOVIES
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore – Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Cara Mahoney, Mads Mikkelsen, Katherine Waterston, Poppy Corby-Tuech
Father Stu – Mark Wahlberg, Mel Gibson, Jacki Weaver, Annet Mahendru, Teresa Ruiz, Faith Jefferies, Malcolm McDowell

NYC STREET FAIRS
https://www.clearviewfestival.com/events/

NEW YORK AUTO SHOW 2022
It starts today and it will be until Sunday April 14, 2022
https://autoshowny.com

ROCKEFELLER CENTER ROLLER SKATING RINK
It opens today and it will last until October 2022
https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/a-first-look-of-flippers-roller-boogie-palace-at-rockefeller-center-041422

MEGA MILLIONS
Today’s Jackpot is $20 million.

You can now play in 43 states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

NYLottery.NY.gov

POWERBALL
Saturday’s Jackpot is $325 million. 

Powerball is played in 43 states.

NYLottery.NY.gov